kport wrote:I am proud beyond measure to be a part of this amazing show:
You have
excellent reason to be proud. I had the privilege of sitting in the front row for the Friday July 22 performance and OMG the singing is
fantastic! Particularly Bradley Dean who plays Claude Frollo, but everyone in the entire cast can really sing. And yes, the 32-person choir - of which kport is a member - plays an important role throughout and sounds wonderful as well.
The storytelling was by far the weakest part of the work, in my opinion. I have not seen the movie and can imagine that the animation allows a lot that can't be translated to the stage. There is a lot of narration over the stage activities which at times does not work all that well and can even be cringe-worthy, unfortunately.
But all the other components are pretty good. The set is nicely done with impressive bells. The structures are pretty tall and a few sets of stairs are involved so together with the Alan Menken music, there are reminders of Newsies. With a lot of the focus occurring at elevation, there were extended times when sitting in the front row required looking almost straight up.
On the other hand, front row was a great spot to hear a whole lot of direct sound. Several numbers featured the entire cast of 20 or so plus the choir in full throat and it was simply
glorious! Somewhat like Les Mis although a different experience, reflecting a thoroughly different story plus including dialog, not fully sung-through.
The music is a serious work. This isn't your typical Disney fare and that is not to pass judgment either good or bad. I love Alan Menken's work, the man is a genius. The tone of this story is darker and serious and the music matches quite well. The program lists 17 musical numbers in
each of Act 1 and 2, which provides opportunity for each of the leads to shine in at least a couple places. Won't say the tunes are the most memorable, especially compared to other Menken compositions, but supports this work just fine.
So once again Ogunquit is a fine target to visit this summer for arts and entertainment. A hearty Bravo to kport and the entire cast and crew of Hunchback!